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How Jordan Peterson helped me see that I should clean things

I’ve always been a messy person. As a child, my military father would make me clean my room and do my homework. But it never stuck. I’ve struggled with organization my entire life. Part of this is my Platonic nature. I’m often more concerned with ideas than the physical world. At least that’s what I tell myself. But recently I watched a video that actually changed my life.

In the short clip, Jordan Peterson explains very simply how our brain interprets things as either tools or obstacles. He explains that for about five minutes. When we see things out of place, we see obstacles. That does a number on our productivity. It often makes me feel out of sorts, for example. Tools, on the other hand, are things that are useful in our work. Some degree of order is therefore a tool. After his explanation, the good Dr. explains that this is the reason we should clean up our workspace. Peterson had already been speaking my language, the language of ideas, science, and abstraction. But then he connected it firmly to a very concrete thing: my workspace.

I’m not sure exactly how to explain this, but somehow that little bit of commonsense has dramatically changed the way I function. I now make my bed every morning, put away clothes after I wear them, clean up the kitchen and living room, and clean up my desk. I even organize my days now with a tasklist, and I get most of the things done! Anyone who knows me a smidge can testify that this is out of the ordinary for me.

I have continued my study of Peterson by reading his book, 12 Rules for Life, and even reading some of the books on his reading list. He has expanded my understanding of this quest for order as a cosmic fight for the good, true, and beautiful. And all this lines up perfectly with what the Bible says about our creation in the image of God as his stewards on the earth. We’re here for order, creativity, and conservation of the good. All of this ordering helps us begin to launch out into areas where we have never been before. It can help us get a better handle on our very purpose for living.